Wednesday, June 27, 2007

"In the 1800s, the property was part of the Samaniego's CDO Ranch. After several changes of ownership, it became a conference center in the 1960s and 1970s, first for Motorola, then for the UA. Space Biospheres Ventures bought the property in 1984 and began construction of the current facility in 1986. Human missions 1 and 2 lasted from 1991-1994. In 1994, Decision Investment took over the property and Columbia University managed it from 1996-2003. The property was sold June 4, 2007, to CDO Ranching & Development, L.P."

The controlled environment (there is a section that mimics a rainforest!) will gain new life, as it was recently leased for advance research. Yesterday's Press Release.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Mao Mag was recently floated to me after the longest conversation EVER with L&V Architects.

From the site: Founders Mauricio and Roger Padilha launched MAO MAG in September 2003. It is published bi-annually, coinciding with New York Fashion week, and explores the worlds of fashion, both past and present, commercial and underground.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Monday, June 18, 2007

There's a lot of humorous material available on Google Book Search, especially if you have a taste for bygone ways of joking. Here’s Ambrose Bierce's The Devil's Dictionary, one of the most celebrated works of American wit.

DIY clothing is awesome, but how do you go from idea to the actual product? I have a hard time finding the proper material (despite being so close to downtown LA) and cutting the clothes to fit the style I'm aiming for. I'm still iso certain fabrics and it may be wise to just base my designs on the available fabric but "NO, not there yet dammit." Some stuff that may be helpful if you're interested in making your own clothes cuz you wanna waste time productively [(say yes) x (And it's fun!)]

sloper [n]: a basic pattern that follows the natural lines and represents the basic dimensions of a figure, from which all styles are based on. Also called basic pattern, block pattern, or foundation pattern.

Slopers can be bought online or you can start making your own collection by tearing apart the clothing you have and redrawing the forms (be sure it's something that is BASIC, unless you want to remake the exact item in a different material, length, etc).

Pins and needles are amazing inventions for the dressmaker and I highly recommend using them as much as posssssible and for EVERY crease, nip, tuck, & fold to be sure that your clothes will come out correctly. I've wasted tons of material and money because I wrongfully believed in myself too much (the pin wins, it's true). I blame this on America's "you are special" syndrome that occurred in the 90s, or rather- my formative years. Don't trust your instincts when it comes to the technical aspect of making clothes is Lesson #1.

Future I wish I knew isms to come, but now you can make me a dress (don't forget to pin extra material for my CODE WORD: babyfat).

Fast Fashion Retailer Forever 21 has a new line of stores set to launch called Twelve by Twelve. The pieces are priced above the Forever 21 price point, but well below department stores at nothing more than $100/piece. They are said to be made of higher quality, more detailed designs, and much more fashion forward- meant for the 30 somethings which are really the 20 somethings that follow the "young Hollywood" crowd. The website launches at the end of this month. So far, they have done very well, according to market research, in which these higher quality pieces were placed within the Forever 21 Store. The name is a play on their namesake, of course, but they also have 12 designers and they are on the 12th floor of some building. I counted the building downtown- not even 12 stories- therefore they must mean the one in China where, you know- women are making 12 cents a day.

The bookstore at the Brewery, called Bookfinger contains information galore for designers, politicians, and historians. I'm a book fanatic and I don't think I can let go, despite all these talks of minimalist living that floods my brains and dreams. I picked up the St. James Fashion Encyclopedia, which covers fashion from 1945-forward.

Apartment project 101 consist of getting houseplants that fight pollution. We researched the premise, but discovered that our combine brains did little to expand upon our individual list. Google, that devil!

Based on a NASA research project on houseplants that fight pollution & listed in descending order of effectiveness.

Saturday, June 02, 2007

All that searching and looking and having nothing feel right or priced right finally lead me to a place that felt comfortable + livable.

I signed a lease today to live at The Brewery Art Colony. The above picture= the building I'm in. The place is fabulous and was passed on to me by a friend who had first peaked my interest in shoe design. It is well known for their twice yearly Art Walk.

And it's less than 20 minutes away from work.

pssst! There seems to be space for some rooftop gardening...

The day, however, was marred by the realization that my price point for the clothes I make is way too low, considering the time, cost of material, & overhead.